


One Bright Morning

by Magnetism_bind



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Anniversary, Domestic Fluff, Emotions, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, tokens of affection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 06:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10714182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnetism_bind/pseuds/Magnetism_bind
Summary: It's been three months since the Hamiltons and James have been together & Thomas takes the opportunity to celebrate.





	One Bright Morning

Miranda stirs first. 

"I smell tea." It's far too early for civilized people to have tea, but the other side of the bed is empty so it's clearly not too early for Thomas. 

"That," James says somewhere underneath the covers, "is a ruse."

"A ruse," she repeats, amused at his ability to sound coherent at this hour even beneath an eiderdown.

James emerges from the blankets. "I happen to be well trained in military tactics, and that is clearly a ruse."

Miranda laughs and he takes the opportunity to kiss her. She savors it, deepening the kiss as she thinks how good it is to have him back in London. It had been a very long fortnight and finally he's back.  

It was the longest they had been separated since he had first joined them in their bed and upon his return last night, James had proven he had missed them as much as they had him. Considering the lengths it had taken to persuade him into their bed to begin with, it was most impressive even. Nearly three months...

No, it _is_  three months. With that realization Miranda suddenly knows what Thomas is doing. 

"We must go down." She reaches for her dressing gown at the foot of the bed. “Come, James.”

"Must we?" James leans over and kisses her neck, "If he wants to be kissed, he can come back to bed." 

"James," she's laughing as she tries to disengage from his embrace and get her arm through her sleeve at the same time. "It'll be worth it."

"I don't care." He protests. “I'm exhausted." All he wants is to stay in bed and sleep and have Thomas and Miranda beside him. Is that so much to ask for?

"Poor thing." Miranda slips out of bed and into her slippers.

He throws a pillow at her and goes back under the covers.

Miranda merely sighs and goes out.

*  *  *

James closes his eyes and tries to return to sleep but he can hear the quiet murmur of their conversation from the next room through the open door. Without either of them the bed is so empty that at last he grinds his fist into his pillow in frustration and sits up.

It’s so early, why the devil has Thomas decided to disturb their peace? He lies there against the pillows, disgruntled. The morning is just starting to be light through the curtains. James loves this room, from the comfortable large bed that is somehow big enough for all three of them to the softness of the carpet underfoot, to the light shades of green and lavender paper on the walls. For a moment he closes his eyes and remembers the first time he entered it.

_Thomas had kissed him against the doorway. “Come in.” He murmured into James’s mouth. “Come to bed with us.” He dropped another kiss on James’s lips._

_Still James had hesitated. Was it possible this wasn’t a dream? Miranda moved closer and took his other hand, smiling at him._

_She kissed his wrist as Thomas pulled him down on the bed._

James opens his eyes with a faint sight. It seems like yesterday. Even though he knows it’s been a few months now, he still can’t believe he’s this fortunate.

Capturing his hair with one hand, he reaches for a tie with the other and pulls it into a loose ponytail. He'll be damned if he gets dressed at this hour on a day he doesn't have to. It's morning, it's abominably early and he doesn't see why they're up yet.

He casts about for something to put on over his nightshirt and at last finds Thomas's robe and pulls it on. In his bare feet it trails slightly on the ground and James smiles a little at the sight of it as he goes into the other room.

"Why are we up so early?" He begins and then stops.

Thomas is sitting at the window seat in what is technically Miranda's boudoir, but has been converted into a sitting room between bedrooms for moments like this, whatever this is, when they desire to be more private without properly leaving their bedrooms. Miranda's leaning over him, laughing into his hair, her hand at the collar of Thomas's shirt.

James pauses and takes a moment to remind himself this is real. He's never known such happiness and he fears it, but somehow these two people have soothed away those fears and drawn him into their hearts.

Thomas looks up and smiles. "Finally."

"Don't start." James sinks into an armchair. The robe falls open and his night shirt rises up to mid-thigh. 

Thomas gives him an amused, appreciative look and James shakes his head. "If you'd wanted _that,_ why aren't we still in bed?" He complains.

"As delightful as that invitations sounds, there's something that needs to be said." Thomas says. "and if we'd stayed in bed, I'd only have been distracted by your thighs."

James snorts and spreads his legs a little wider, just a little, to remind Thomas of what he's missing out on.

"Again, I ask, why are we up?"

"Because..." Thomas hesitates and then he stands and goes over to the small table. There are two small boxes there that James hadn’t noticed at first. Thomas takes one and hands it to Miranda with a kiss to her mouth. And then he brings the other over to James.

"Happy anniversary." He murmurs, leaning down to press a kiss to James's surprised lips.

James meets his kiss readily enough ,but then he stops and looks up at Thomas with puzzled eyes. "What are you taking about?"

"It's been three months." Thomas says patiently.

"Since you and I and he." Miranda says more pointedly.

James stares down at the box in his hand. "And this?"

"A token of my affection. An anniversary present." Thomas chuckles. "Try not to look so surprised, James. Anyone would think you didn't know we loved you."

There's a small lump in James's throat and all he can do is sit there and watch as Miranda opens her gift and exclaims over the silver bracelet. She kisses Thomas affectionately and then they both look at James expectantly.

“Well?” Thomas asks finally. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

Slowly James undoes the ribbon over the box and slides it off. Inside the box is a beautiful silver-plated pocket watch and chain. He gazes at it in silence. He can feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and blinks hard to keep them from falling. 

Miranda and Thomas exchange a look. Without speaking a word they know he needs a moment to compose himself.

“I’m going to ring for more tea.” Miranda leans over and kisses James. “Happy anniversary, my love.” 

James nods in response but doesn’t say anything. Miranda slips out of the room with another look at Thomas as James goes to stand in front of the window.

He smooths the ribbon from the box with his fingertip and slips it into the pocket of Thomas’s dressing gown.

Thomas stands beside him, waiting for whenever James feels ready to speak.

"It was three months last week." James says finally. He’d thought of it in the middle of a meeting, while another officer was speaking. He’d suddenly realized that it had been three months exactly and he had needed to excuse himself to go stand in the corridor for a moment until the happy blush had faded from his cheek and he was able to stop smiling.

"Well, we were hardly going to celebrate our anniversary without you here." Thomas smiles at him. “I’m sorry it’s so early, but I couldn’t wait any longer.”

It’s such a natural thing for him. All of this is such a natural fact to Thomas. James is part of them now, they’ve accepted James into their home, into their lives. And now this declaration, this simple exquisite token of his affection. James looks down at the watch in his palm.

“So that you’ll always be able to count the hours until we’re together again.”  Thomas whispers.

James turns and cups the back of Thomas’s head hard, crushing his mouth to Thomas’s. Thomas’s mouth opens to him and his fingertips smooth over James’s face as their tongues curl together in delight.

 “I love you.” James breathes when he’s finally able to speak again.

“I know.” Thomas rests his forehead against James’s. “I love you too.”


End file.
